A razor-thin finish
0.6056
points between champion and reserve
Closer than 87% of the 4,722 championships in the data
The Grand Championship was decided by 0.6056 points — closer than 87% of every championship in the data.
- QUE U
- JaBs BBQ
Central Illinois Bragging Rights (CIBR-BBQ) 2019
Oct 11–12, 2019 · Arthur, IL · 📍 Downtown · State championship
Reps: Charlie Brinza, Tina Weller · Prize money: $11,250
QUE U won Grand Champion at the Central Illinois Bragging Rights (CIBR-BBQ) on October 11, 2019 in Arthur, IL at Downtown, scoring 699.4172 in a field of 43 teams. JaBs BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 698.8116. Category winners: Chicken — QUE U (175.4400); Pork Ribs — BYO GRILL (176.0000); Pork — IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ (178.8800); Brisket — QUAU (178.8572). This is the 4th of 4 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by QUAU.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
501.10
median 665.63
699.42 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 175.44
- Pork Ribs 176
- Pork 178.88
- Brisket 178.86
20
178.88
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2019 — this edition picked out.
Entries
43
4 judged meats
Top score
699.4172
Winning margin
0.6056
GC over RC
Field average
659.08
501.10699.42
median 665.63 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
0.5828 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
681.6344
501.10699.42
10th place overall
Field spread
198.3204
winner to last place
Prize money
$11,250
on the line
Double threats
4
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 35%
beats 65% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
19%
9 of 48 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.71 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,596
avg power rating going in · stronger than 75% of contests
Storylines (9 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
An upset on the books
10-in-100
shot on pre-contest ratings
The ratings favoured the top seed the other 90 times in 100
QUE U came in rated below the field's top team, IOWA'S SMOKEY D'S BBQ, and took the Grand Championship anyway — roughly a 10-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings.
- champion 1650
- top seed 2027
A first Grand Championship
38
tracked contests to get there
This was QUE U's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 38th tracked contest.
A dynasty in the making
2×
wins at this contest
2 of 4 tracked editions
QUAU has won this contest 2 times across its 4 tracked editions.
- 2013
- 2015
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 14 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 2–3: JaBs BBQ and HATFIELD AND MCCOY BARBECUE tied on 175.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 8–9: ONE2BBQ and HIGH ON THE HAWG tied on 173.7028 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 5–6: BIG "E" BBQ and SMOKE FREAKS tied on 173.1200 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker.
- Chicken 2–3 · tie
- Chicken 8–9 · tie
- Pork Ribs 5–6 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · tie
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
QUE U took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork ribs at 9th.
- Chicken 1st
- Pork Ribs 9th
- Pork 3rd
- Brisket 3rd
A contest record in brisket
178.8572
best brisket ever cooked here
QUAU turned in 178.8572 in brisket — past the 178.2972 that had stood across 3 earlier editions.
- old best 178.2972
- across 3 past editions
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: QUAU (won 2013, 2015).
- QUAU · 2013, 2015
The contest returns
4 yrs
since the last edition
This contest was away for 4 years — the previous tracked edition ran on 2015-10-09.
- previous edition 2015-10-09
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion | Reserve Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2013 | Arthur, IL | Arthur, IL | 53 | 704.5716 | QUAU | THE SMOKE HUNTERS |
| Oct 10, 2014 | Arthur, IL | Arthur, IL 61911 | 37 | 683.9544 | IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE | JUGS BBQ |
| Oct 9, 2015 | Arthur, IL | Arthur, IL 61911 | 48 | 702.2744 | QUAU | ALL IN QUE |
| Oct 11, 2019 ← this one | Arthur, IL | Downtown | 43 | 699.4172 | QUE U | JaBs BBQ |
| Sep 30, 2022 | Arthur, IL | — | — | — | — | — |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 175.4400 | 174.8572 | 173.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 176 | 173.1200 | 169.1200 |
| Pork | 178.8800 | 175.4516 | 173.1316 |
| Brisket | 178.8572 | 175.4172 | 173.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
43 entries · top 699.4172 · median 665.6344
Chicken
43 entries · top 175.4400 · median 169.7028
Pork Ribs
43 entries · top 176 · median 163.4288
Pork
43 entries · top 178.8800 · median 166.2400
Brisket
43 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.3828